For ten years, I was a peace offering to Alpha Kane. And he chose his adopted sister, Fiona, over me 77 times.

He planned my birthday around her tastes.

At the Hunter’s Moon festival, she stood beside him in the Luna’s ceremonial gown. My gown.

Even on our mating night, he left me. Fiona faked a panic attack, claiming her wolf was losing control. He spent the night coddling her.

I forgave him the first 76 times.

Because he’d saved my life once, even if he didn’t remember.

But when I was kidnapped, he had to choose: trade the pack's sacred artifact for my life, or stay with Fiona and her latest self-made drama. He chose her.

The kidnappers injected me with a lethal dose of wolfsbane. I felt it tearing my wolf apart, devouring my life force from the inside out.

The 77th time. I was finally ready to give up.

But I was saved.

By Drake, Alpha of the Nightfall Pack. The one who'd been watching over me for fifteen years..

That’s when I learned the truth. I’d been thanking the wrong man. The one who saved me was always Drake. Never Kane.

So I went back. I filed to sever our mate bond with the Elders.

In four days, I'll be free. And Kane can be with his precious Fiona forever.

So why, now that it’s all over, is he on his knees, begging for me back and crying that he always loved me?

The 77th time my mate, Alpha Kane, abandoned me for his adopted sister, Fiona, I filed to sever our bond.

I was digging at the spiderweb of black veins the wolfsbane had left in my arm when Kane came home. The tip of my tweezers sizzled against raw flesh.

He frowned the moment he stepped through the door, his body flinching back a half-step. He didn’t even try to hide his disgust. He looked at me like I was something filthy.

But I could smell her on him.

The scent of white moonflower incense that always burned in Fiona’s room, clinging to his trench coat.

He’d just come from her.

"Explain Drake," he said from the doorway, his voice clipped with impatience. "Why would he save you?"

I didn't look up. I fought back the burn in my throat and kept cleaning the wound.

Yesterday, I was kidnapped by a pack of masked wolves.

They shot me up with wolfsbane, tortured me, left me for dead. The kidnappers told Kane to bring the pack's sacred relic to save me. But he never came.

Fiona had a "mental breakdown," so he chose her instead.

We've been mated for ten years. This was the 77th time he'd abandoned me for her.

And now, after I escaped on my own, he wasn't asking if I was okay. He was interrogating me about the Alpha who saved my life.

His eyes landed on my mangled arm, and the hard line of his jaw softened—just a little. He crossed the room to my side.

"Look, I know you're in pain. I told the kidnappers I was coming for you. I just... I had to delay an hour. Fiona's mind was shattering. You're my mate, Elara. Of course I was coming for you."

He glanced at my arm.

"Damn it. I warned them not to touch a single hair on your head. How dare they!"

He looked so furious now, as if my pain actually bothered him.

He reached out, his hand aiming for my cheek in a hollow gesture of comfort.

Just then, his communicator buzzed in his pocket.

It was just a soft hum, but his hand froze in mid-air.

He answered. The mask of the loving mate he’d worn for me shattered, replaced by raw panic.

"What? Still crying? Hyperventilating?"

"Don't worry. Tell Fiona I'm on my way. Right now."

He hung up. Without another glance at my bleeding arm, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked, though I already knew. My voice was ice.

"Fiona had a nightmare," he said, tugging his collar straight. His tone was dismissive. "She dreamt that you died, and she can't breathe. The healers say she's unstable. I have to be there. Elara, you're a healer yourself. It’s just a scratch. Patch yourself up and stop being so dramatic."

Dramatic.

Me almost dying was dramatic. Fiona having a bad dream was a crisis.

The door slammed shut.

This time, I didn't cry. I didn't even feel the ache in my chest. I was just numb.

I bandaged my arm, pulled on a long-sleeved robe to hide the wound, and walked straight to the Elder's Hall.

If he wouldn't give me respect, I would take back my freedom.

Inside the hall, the five Elders sat on their high stone chairs, looking down at me.

"You want what? To sever the mate bond?" The Head Elder scoffed as if I’d told a joke. "Elara, what is this nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense." I stood straight. "Kane abandoned me when my life was on the line. He broke the mate's vow. I have the right to request a severance."

"Abandonment? Kane acted for the greater good!" another elder snapped. "Fiona's power was spiraling out of control. If he hadn't contained her, she could have leveled half our territory! He was protecting the pack!"

"By sacrificing his Luna?" I shot back.

"Watch your place!" The Head Elder slammed his staff on the floor. "Elara, do not forget your place. You are a treaty bride, a living sacrifice! Your purpose is to secure this alliance, not throw a tantrum over petty jealousy!"

"As long as Kane doesn't publicly reject you, you will always be his Luna. An Alpha’s favor is a privilege, not a right."

"Go home. Don't let us hear this foolishness again. Or we will make sure your birth pack hears of this humiliation."

I was "escorted" out of the hall.

Standing on the steps, I looked up at the almost-full moon and felt a chill cut straight through me.

To them, I was just a thing. An object used to secure a treaty. Not Kane, not the Elders—no one had ever seen me as a wolf with dignity.

If they wouldn't grant me justice, I would have to claim it myself.

Back in my room, I pulled a battered, ancient book from a hidden compartment under the bed. I remembered seeing a passage when I was restoring it. A ritual for a Blood Severance.

It was a brutal, forbidden magic. A ritual to unilaterally sever a bond that had been corrupted.

"On the night of the blood moon, take the blood of the betrayer. With your own spirit as the key, you can defy fate and break the pact."

The blood moon was in four days. It was when our power as wolves would be at its peak.

The perfect time.

As for Kane's blood...

I'd find a way.

This was my only way out. My only path to freedom.

I stroked the rough pages, but my mind drifted back to yesterday. To that blood-soaked, abandoned warehouse.

I was fading in and out, but I remembered the warmth of Derek arms. I remembered his eyes. And now, thinking back, I realized they were achingly familiar.

"Don't be afraid. I'm taking you home."

The memory hit me all at once: Derek, saving me.

For a decade, I thought that boy was Kane.

Because Kane let me believe it. Because I thought the jagged scar across his chest was a wound he’d taken for me.

Even when he grew cold, when he ignored me, when he betrayed me again and again, I endured it.

I owed him my life, I told myself.

But yesterday... I finally understood.

My devotion. My gratitude. My entire life.

It was all a fucking joke.

I had thanked the wrong man. I had loved the wrong man. I had wasted ten years of my youth and my dignity on a lie.

The one who saved me, who had always been there, was Drake.

Kane was nothing but a pathetic thief who stole another wolf's glory.

I pulled out the micro-comm Drake had given me. My fingers trembled as I typed a single line.

【Four days. Blood moon. Get me out of here.】

The reply was instant.

"You better be sure about this, Elara. Because I'm not 'helping' you this time."

A beat of silence. Then the next message pinged through.

"I'm taking you. I’ve waited ten years for this. You’re not getting away from me again."

When my pack first decided to offer me to Kane, Drake had come to me.

He said if I didn't want to go, he'd take me away, right then and there.

But I was fixated on repaying the "wrong" man for saving my life. I never imagined this would be the outcome of our mating.

And Drake. An Alpha every bit as powerful.

All the years I’d wasted on a lie—watching my back in silence.

Now, I was taking what little I had and getting out.

All I needed first was Kane’s blood.

I was packing my things when I heard his familiar footsteps.

Kane pushed the door open. He frowned, seeing the books and bags scattered on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"Packing." I didn't look up, just kept putting my ancient texts into a crate.

Mating with Kane, the only thing I hadn't given up was preserving the last remnants of our ancient lore. These books were all I had. They were all I cared about.

As I handled the most damaged book, a piece of parchment fell out.

Scrawled on it in the old wolf tongue were a few lines: “…blood of the moon is not always weak… power of the mind is not for Omegas alone… when the Moon Queen returns…”

I gave a bitter smile, dismissing it as some silly myth, and tucked it back into the book.

"Packing for what? We have a celebration gala tomorrow," he said, his tone impatient. "Stop this tantrum. I know you’re still shaken up about the kidnapping, but I have more important things to deal with. Your duty as my Luna is to ensure stability, not cause more problems for me."

A tantrum? More problems?

He had dismissed my near-death experience as me being childish.

I finally looked up at him.

Ten years, and he’d never once tried to understand me.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum."

"Then what is this? Running away from home?" He scoffed. "Elara, your duty is to be my Luna. I’ll let the thing with Drake slide. We’ll just forget about it. The matter is closed."

Just then, soft footsteps approached.

"Kane?" Fiona appeared at the door, dressed in a white silk nightgown, looking fragile and lovely. "I heard voices... Elara, are you okay?"

Her eyes scanned my room and landed on my Moonpetal charm—a crystal sphere containing the petals of the rare flower.

It was the only thing that helped soothe the volatile power inside me.

The moment Fiona got close to the table, her power brushed against mine, a cold, predatory probe that made the power inside me stir uneasily.

"Oh!"

Fiona suddenly stumbled, her elbow "accidentally" knocking the table. The crystal sphere crashed to the floor.

The Moonpetal petals instantly turned to dust.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized, but a flash of triumph crossed her eyes.

She leaned in, her voice a rapid whisper only I could hear. "Don't blame me, Elara. It was Kane. He said your things were... upsetting my balance. He told me to… get rid of it."

I stared at the shattered pieces.

That was my last Moonpetal. It was extinct in the wild.

Without it, the power inside me would be even more unstable.

But this time, there was none of the usual pain in my chest.

My eyes locked on a piece of the wreckage. A shard of crystal, razor-sharp at the edge.

Wasn't this the perfect tool to draw his blood?

"It's fine." I knelt, pretending to clean up the shards.

The second Kane turned to check on Fiona’s hand, I snatched the sharpest piece. I clenched it in my fist and slid it into a hidden pocket in my sleeve.

The sharp edge dug into my palm. The sting of it made me feel terrifyingly awake.

With this, I could get his blood.

"Elara, leave it," Kane ordered, turning to Fiona. "Are you hurt?"

"I cut my hand a little," Fiona said pitifully, holding out a finger with a nearly invisible scratch.

Kane immediately took her hand, inspecting it. "I'll take you to get that cleaned."

"It's okay, Kane," Fiona smiled sweetly, then turned to me with perfect apology. "Elara, I'm so, so sorry… I'm just so clumsy."

As she spoke, she swayed slightly, as if dizzy.

I instinctively reached out to steady her.

The second our skin touched, her silk nightgown conveniently slipped, revealing her pale collarbone.

There, on her collarbone, was a dark red crescent mark, glowing faintly.

A mark?

I froze.

My bond with Kane was still intact; I could feel that they hadn't actually mated. But this mark...

"Pretty, isn't it?" Fiona noticed me staring. She stroked the mark, her voice a smug whisper in my head through the mind-link. "Kane... he gave it to me last night."

I smelled a strange, herbal scent.

Phantom-leaf. The sap, applied with an Alpha's calming energy, stains the skin to look like a claiming mark. It's used to soothe hysterical patients.

But to put it there, on her collarbone, shaped so intimately... it was obvious Kane had indulged her.

"You just painted that on with Phantom-leaf," I said, my voice flat, cutting through her act. "Fiona, you'd drain your own energy for a stunt like this, just to show off to me? So much for being 'fragile'."

Fiona stiffened, then leaned close to my ear. Her whisper was pure venom.

"So what if it's fake? The whole pack will see it and think it's real. As long as Kane doesn't correct them, it is real. He said he doesn't mind teaching you a lesson, as long as it keeps me calm."

Then, she turned back to Kane, her expression all innocence. "Oh, by the way, I saw how much sun Elara's sunroom gets. My flowers haven't been doing so well lately... I was wondering if..."

"Of course," Kane agreed without a second thought. "Elara, give the sunroom to Fiona."

The sunroom was my only sanctuary.

It was where I studied my books, grew my herbs, and spent countless lonely afternoons.

"That's my room."

"It's Fiona's now," Kane's tone was final. "Her recovery demands it."

"So does mine," I said, standing up. A shard of glass sliced my palm, and blood dripped, staining the floor. "Those herbs are for stabilizing my own power."

"What power? You have no power." Kane scoffed. "The wolfsbane shattered your healing. Whatever you think you need... it can wait."

I stared at his entitled face, the last bit of warmth in my heart turning to ice. Right. This was him. For ten years, my needs could always "wait."

Fiona chimed in. "Elara, if you don't want to…"

"No." I wiped the blood from my hand. "Take it. I don't need it anymore anyway."

"Oh, and by the way," Kane said suddenly. "You will attend the gala tomorrow night. We just closed a major deal. We need to project an image of pack unity."

"I'm not going."

"You will go." A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "That's an order, Elara."

I looked at the two of them.

Kane, domineering and cold. Fiona, a master manipulator behind an innocent mask.

This was my life.

A decade of humiliation.

"I understand," I said, turning back to my packing.

Fiona snuggled into Kane's arms, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest.

She looked at me with triumph, her voice sickly sweet.

"You don't mind, do you, Elara? Kane just wants to keep me happy. After all," she paused, her eyes dripping venom, "I'm the one who matters."

I closed my eyes, ignoring her.

Four more days, and this would all be over.

Then Kane could be with his beloved Fiona. Forever.

"Everyone, tonight I'd like to introduce two very important women."

Kane stood in the center of the gala, his suit perfect, his smile flawless.

All eyes were on him.

I stood in a dark corner, wearing the black evening gown he'd commanded me to wear.

It exposed the dark, web-like veins the wolfsbane had left on my arms—a mark of shame.

"First, this is Fiona," Kane said, pulling her to his side. "The sister I've sworn to protect, my treasure, my—"

"Pride," Fiona finished for him, lowering her head shyly.

Tonight, she was wearing my white gown.

Yes, the one I had planned to wear.

Thunderous applause.

I saw the tenderness in Kane’s eyes, a light I had never seen before.

In ten years, he had never looked at me that way.

"And this," his voice turned cold, formal, "is Elara. My... associate. And our pack's head healer."

The word hung in the air, a public demotion. A slap in the face.

The applause died.

I managed a smile and raised my glass to everyone.

All the while, the shard of crystal in my sleeve pressed cold and hard against my wrist.

I was waiting for my chance. An opening to get close to Kane, to cut him when his guard was down and take the blood I needed.

But Fiona was glued to him like a second skin. And with guests and guards everywhere, I couldn't get near him.

Just then, a wave of agony exploded from my chest. The wolfsbane was acting up again.

But this time, something else came with the pain. A strange, violent power was crashing through me.

I nearly fell. The glass slipped from my hand, spilling red wine across the floor.

"Elara?" someone asked.

"I'm fine," I gritted out, stumbling toward the garden. "I just need some air."

No one followed me. Not even Kane.

I shoved the garden doors open. The cold air hit me, but it was nothing compared to the ice in my heart.

The strange power roiled in my veins, like a thousand knives carving me up from the inside.

I gripped the railing, gasping for breath.

Go. I have to get out of here.

I turned to leave, only to slam into an invisible barrier.

What?

I reached out. The air shimmered with a faint light.

In that instant, the impact of the collision flipped a dusty switch inside me.

I didn't just feel the barrier, I could clearly see it.

In my mind's eye, the barrier was a complex web woven from threads of malicious, shimmering energy.

This was... a mental barrier?

"Surprised?"

Fiona's voice came from behind me.

I turned to see her gliding toward me, the same sweet smile from the gala on her face.

"You?"

"Of course, me." She stopped in front of me, her smile turning cruel. "Did you really think all I could do was play the victim?"

"You..." I stared at her in shock. "You're not a normal Omega."

"Finally figured it out?" Fiona circled me like a predator sizing up its prey. "I'm a psychic-class Omega, one of the rarest breeds. And you?" She raked her eyes over me. "You're just a broken-down healer."

She stopped in front of me, her eyes filled with venom.

"Do you know why Kane chooses me? Because I can give him everything he wants. Power, status, and a mate who can resonate with him on a psychic level. And you? Kane is sick and tired of your gloomy, pathetic act. He said your very existence is a chain on his freedom! He needs a queen who can rule by his side, not a burden he has to look after!"

She looked me up and down, her gaze like a razor across the scars on my arm. "You're a defective prize, damaged goods. What can you even do for him anymore? Have his pups?"

She sneered. "A broken wolf like you could never produce strong pups. You'd only give him defects."

Fiona's taunt was pure venom.

"Kane can't wait for you to disappear. Then I can finally take my place as the true Luna."

The mate bond was tearing me apart, and I still hadn't found a chance to get Kane's blood...

It wasn't going to happen tonight. I had to endure. Wait for another opening.

My silence only made Fiona's smile widen. "Look at you. You've been out here in agony all night, while he's inside, dancing with me."

“Stay here tonight.”

The gala ended. The guests left.

I was still in the garden.

The barrier didn't fall until midnight. By then, the agony had already made me black out.

For some reason, the mate bond was unraveling faster than ever that night, the strain threatening to swallow me whole.

The entire pack was silent. No one had come for me.

The next morning, the patrol team found me.

"Luna? Why did you sleep in the garden all night?" a young guard asked with concern.

I didn't answer. I walked straight to my rooms.

The moment I pushed open the door, I froze.

Fiona was sitting at my vanity, wearing the white dress I was supposed to have worn last night.

The dress was now rumpled and disheveled, clearly having been handled roughly.

She saw me and gave a sultry smile.

"Elara, you're back?" She deliberately adjusted her collar, revealing a fresh red mark on her neck. "Sorry about the mess. Things got a little... intense last night. I ruined your dress."

The air was thick with Kane's scent.

Dominant, hot, possessive.

"You two..."

"In your bed," Fiona purred, standing up and walking toward me. "Kane said since you were being so... difficult... he needed a real Luna to handle his needs."

She leaned close to my ear, her voice a low hiss only I could hear.

"He told me when he's with you, he closes his eyes and pretends it's me. Not you. Never you. He said I was a better fit to be his Luna, a better fit to bear his children."

"He also said," she paused, her eyes malicious, "what right does a half-breed with a shattered bloodline have to be Luna? You can't even give him a healthy heir anymore!"

My hands began to shake.

Not from pain. From rage.

Ten years of humiliation. 77 betrayals. Last night's public shaming.

It all exploded in this one moment.

"Are you done?" I looked up, something burning in my eyes.

Fiona seemed to sense the danger and took a step back. "What... what are you doing?"

"I'm going to teach you your place."

I raised my hand. An invisible force—my rage, my pain, my humiliation given form—slammed into her, throwing her across the room.

I stared at my own hand, shocked by the raw power that had answered my call...

But beneath the shock, I felt an incredible sense of release, as if I’d finally broken free from my chains.